Liquid hydrocarbon fuel



Patented July 7, T925.

UNITED STATES 1,545,261 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR N. KERR, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

LIQUID HYDROCARBON FUEL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHER N. IiERR, a

' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in. Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuel, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide a hydro-carbon liquid fuel formed from that portion of natural gas condensate which, in the usual ways of producing natural gas gasoline, is a waste product because it is too volatile to use as natural gas gasoline, the fuel so formed being economical to produce, safe and economical to transport, and having physical characteristics rendering it especially suitable for domestic use.

Natural gas gasoline as contemplated herein is that produced from natural gas either by compression and cooling or by absor tion processes,- both of which are well l nown. It is also well known that In these processes of recovering gasoline from natural gas there is considerable loss in the initial liquid volume or condensate removed from the gas, the loss being due to the presence of light hydro-carbons mixed with heavier hydro-carbons which lighter hydrocarbons must at least in part be removed before the gasoline is a marketable product. In the removal of the lighter hydro-carbons heavier hydro-carbons are carried from the condensate, the loss of hydro-carbons from the initial volume of condensate recovered being about one-third of the initial volume produced by the compression and cooling processes.

The liquid fuel provided according to this invention has a boiling point which causes it to vaporize under. normal atmospheric temperature and pressure conditions, when the fuel is withdrawn from the bottom of a container through a pipe, and has a vapor tension which, under the same conditions of temperature and pressure, is sufliciently low to permit the fuel to be safely transported in containers not especially designed to resist high pressure, although they may be slightly stronger than ordinary containers, The actual vaporizing temperature of the fuel in a burner pi e may be from about 60 to 80 F. Its initial boilin point is not lower than about 10 R, an its final boiling point not higher-than about 150 F.

Application filed September 28, 1923. Serial No. 665,473.

It has a vapor tension of from about 10 to about 20 pounds per square inch at 70 F., and its gravity is from about 9 1 to 120 Baum. The fuel preferably consists chiefly of a mixture of butane and pentane, the butane being about to 75% and the pentane about 25% to 50% of the mixture.

The fuel thus characterized may be stored in an underground tank subject to the sub stantially unvariable ground temperature, and as thus stored it is under self-imposed pressure of not more than about 15 pounds. By withdrawing the fuel as needed for consumption from the bottom of the tank through pipes leading to the point or points ofconsumption, the fuel either readily vaporizes upon the reduction of the low pressure under which it is stored, or it may be vapor ized by a slight increase in its temperature, as by slightly heating the pipe through which it flows. The fuel is thus always readily available as a vapor for whatever use may be desired to make of it. It is a-very con-- venient fuel for domestic use, particularly in localities where fuel gas is not available, or if available, is expensive. Because of the low temperature at which the fuel will vaporize, it will not coke or otherwise foul the burners and burner pipes, and will also, more readily than will gasoline, operate a thermostat used in connection with a heating unit, it being understood that the ready vaporization of the fuel reduces the temperature of the vapor and thereby creates a wider variation between the temperature of the vapor and the heating unit. more because the fuel is not as volatile as liquefied gaseous fuel'now on the market, and which consists chiefly of ver volatile propane or butane or mixtures o the two, it will not freeze pressure regulators controlling it as do such volatile fuels.

The fuel provided according to this invention may be variously obtained from natural as condensate. However, that those skilled 1n the art may be readily able to make the fuel, I will describe the process which I have found particularly suitable for the purpose. The volume of natural gas condensate 1n1t1- ally recovered, and which'has a avity of about 75 to 100 Baum', is heate to a temperature not greater that about 80 F. at atmospheric pressure, or to an equivalent temperature under a higher pressure. 'The vapors and gas thus removed from the liq- Furtheruid are then liquefied by compression and cooling or otherwise. The liquid thus produced is then treated either by venting it to the atmosphere or otherwise for removing excess lighter hydro-carbons until its gravity is from about 90 to 120 Baum, or in other Words the Baumgravity of the fuel pro vided according to this invention. This fuel has been found to be about 25% to 45% 0f the most volatile third of the liquid originally recovered from natural gas by compression and cooling processes, and which is ordinarily wasted.

I claim as my invention:

A liquid fuel comprising a cut of natural 1 gas condensate having an initial boiling point not lower than about 10 F., a final boiling point not higher than about 150 F.,

ARTHUR N. KERR.

Witness:

EDWIN O. Jonns.

i, I 1 l about 15 to i 

